Autumn is my boyfriend

***This blog is dedicated to Justine, who always reads and comments, and even though I don't always get back to her, it makes me smile really big. It is also dedicated to my parents, who have been beggggging for photos of the new crib...which could, incidentally, be on cribs.***

Hey everyone,

I'm going to keep this simple and highly saturated with pictures. Because if I had to write down in words all of the awesome things that have been going on in life in the past month, I'd get a hand cramp. By the way, I'm reclaiming the word awesome like never before. It is just so, so, sooo very American. And I love it. (THAT is my version of patriotism.)


End of August = Notting Hill Carnival (I've made it now three years in a row.) It's something that everyone should do when they are in this city. In fact, only come to London in August. You WILL fall in love. Anyway, it's the biggest street party in the world outside of Rio de Janeiro, and it really is spectacular. The floats are amazing, and the music and dancing is such a blast. It's people of all ages out having a good time...and it's even better when the sun is shining. The English luck is that it is always sunny on Carnival weekend. Three years running, and I believe it!


Early September = Secret Cinema
THE coolest event EVER. New Yorkers pay attention...it happens in NYC as well. Basically, you get an email with hints about what film it is going to be, but you don't actually know what film you are going to see or where it is going to be located. It tells you what kind of costume to dress up in and a location on a map to show up to. Once you get to the location, you get hearded along somehow to the exact location. It's not just a film though...there are actors and food and music and everything at the location is set up to be in the theme of the film. When the opening credits roll, everyone cheers. It really is spectacular.
This past month it was Lawrence of Arabia...and I actually worked at it. I got to remind myself of the coffee house days in college because I worked for Jaz and Jules and served hot chocolate and tea all night. It was SUCH a blast. I got to see an amazing spectacle, and get paid. Good times!


Mid September=Moving
I finally have a place. By which I mean, I live in a mansion. This is my room with the tiled ensuite (not pictured!) I also have a chandelier...above my bed. But that's just the small one.

The giant chandelier is in the living room (above the couches but, cough cough, the ceilings are too high to show it), next to the dining room with the antique wooden table for 12. Seriously, I could go on but it is embarrassing. One of the perks of the job is that if we are lucky enough to get a property and no one else is available to move in, I get to! Normally, we don't get good properties at my job, but we have some rare ones. This one...well...I am currently living in the best property we have. I live 2 blocks from Russell Square...and I live in a historically listed home. Various members of the Bloomsbury group used to live here...I mean...I live in Bloomsbury! It's pretty fantastic, but the reality is...it is short lived. Some millionaire will buy this property, and I will have to move out. BUT, in the meantime, I am living like a princess, with three friends of mine. Being all girls in a house is the first time since college, and I do miss my suities!!!...But these girls are pretty great too.


Late September = My actual birthday
I figured, since I live in a mansion, I should have a fancy dinner party. Everyone really made an effort. And I felt so, so loved. Everyone I care about in London was there. And all my friends from different parts of my life got along so well! It didn't hurt that Hot Dutch Coach showed up. (That's what we call him. I mean, he's hot, he's dutch, and he's a hockey coach in our clubhouse...) Verrrrry pretty on the eyes, and intelligent to boot...but he was pretty short lived. Nice birthday present though! (My friends should have wrapped him in a bow ;) Dinner parties are SO different than they are at home.
This is my friend Matt and I. I thought mom would like to see a full lenght photo of the most luxurious dress I have ever owned. At home you expect everyone to come at 7 and leave at 10:30, in anticipation for the next work day. Let's just say...at 3:30am, Eamonn and Rogier were still here. On a MONDAY night! (I blame our absolutely stunning balcony and the mild English September weather...a rarity!)


Late September = Cricket
The English love the cricket. I went to a celebrity cricket match at my hockey clubhouse (which is actually primarily a cricket clubhouse). In case you couldn't tell, the picture is of DRACO MALFOY from Harry Potter.

Late September/Early October = Hockey!
I am captaining my hockey team. And we are winning. For once. And it feels really, really good. (Do not underestimate the power of winning.) I blame it on the fact that we actually get along off the pitch. My team is amazing. The girls are fantastic. And everyone else at the clubhouse is pretty sound as well. I've been hanging out with them a lot, and after two years it seems like, with some of them, I've actually got people I can rely on here, for more than just a good night out. And that is what I've been looking for here.

Late October = Halloween

I went to this warehouse party. (how uber cool do I sound right now? Uber cool enough to use the word uber. yich.) Anyway, a guy I know lives in a warehouse that used to be an art gallery and is absolutely ideal for throwing gigantic parties. There were bands and djs which were pretty mediocre, but Claire and Louise (housemates) and I went with some of Louise's bandmates and some of my hockey mates, and we started a dance-party.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed87UPZj10U

I have attached this video for people who haven't seen it yet...horribly bad band, but my halloween costume features in the most spectacular way possible.

Early November = That brings us to now!

I haven't had a holiday since August, but I am hanging in there :) This job is not nearly as stressful as teaching, so I am dealing with it okay (although I do have travel-envy of all of my friends who are teachers and have just come back from their first holiday of the school year). I signed up yesterday to run the Paris marathon on April 10th, so I think I will take a couple of days then, just to see Paris a bit. At the moment there are four of us doing the run, but I am trying to convince more friends to join. (Any of you interested? It's going to be great fun! We are all hoping to run between 4 and 4.5 hrs...and two of the four of us have never run a marathon before.) I am hoping to hike Kilamanjaro in August with my friend Claire (Irish, not the housemate) and we'd love more company on that trip as well. It would be a great excuse to see some of you, and a huge sense of accomplishment to boot! Plans are still very much in the infancy stage. Here are my christmas plans, so please, drop everything and make a date with me while I'm home. I can't believe it's been a year. (I cry when I think about it, so I'm going to not think about it.) Today is my two year anniversary in England, so, happy anniversary to me!

Christmas:

Dec. 24-28 in CT

29-30 in NJ at the Bouncing Souls woop woop!

30-1st in New York (Who wants to house me, and what are people doing for New Years? Even if you are sitting on a couch watching tv, I still want in!...I'm also flying out on January 1st, so I have to spend New Years in NY, so please please please hang out with me or I will be quite sad.)

Love you all so much,

Hammer